I wanted to share a little about our 4th of July. I gotta say, i’m so very proud of my boys. With all the people and noise going on around us and our home, my boys did pretty well. They had a blast swimming and playing with my sister in law’s – boyfriends’ son & friend Jarren & Alexis. I was especially proud that when i let CJ know that Jarren and Alexis are deaf and use sign language to communicate, CJ and David did not miss a step and found a way to communicate with both boys. I especially loved that once Jarren and Alexis were aware that David does not know sign language, is non verbal & has Autism, they also found other ways to communicate with him too. I witnessed Alexis tapping David a few times, David looking at him (smiling) and Alexis motioning for him to swim in a circle. It was so cute to see David smile, laugh and start swimming along with the other kids in a circle. Small steps!

Inevitably, with all the stimulation going on, CJ became a little overwhelmed and did need some “time outs” for various reasons. CJ hates certain types of attention. He becomes extremely embarrassed and overcome with emotion when he hurts himself. Example: He ran over to grandma and spilled her hot coffee both on her and his arm. Family members asked him if he was okay and let me know that he had locked himself in my youngest sons room. I went over, forced the door open (which he was trying to keep closed with all his might) and he immediately ran from me to the corner and hid his face. I know this behavior but many of my family members don’t. In mommy meltdown prevention mode, i simply told him that i heard that he spilled some coffee, grandma was okay, and that i was checking to see that he was okay. I also told him he could have a break in the room but to come out and check on grandma when he was ready and walked out of the room – closing the door. I hear that he came out pretty quickly completely fine and checked on grandma soon after – he just needed a moment to self regulate (which can be hard for him). Another proud moment – he was able to self regulate in the middle of a party!

Now, on to fireworks. Two years ago CJ screamed, cried and begged me to take him away from the sight/sound of them. This year CJ was a bit less apprehensive than last year. He actually held sparklers and hung out with my uncles and cousins in the front yard. I’m so proud that he tolerated the noise, smell and sight of the fireworks without needing to plug his ears or cover his eyes! David was able to sit through a few fireworks but he hit his limit and wanted back inside the house. Maybe next year i can try earphones and the iPad so he can glance at the fireworks when he wants to.

All in all it was a good day! This mommy was happy to have all our families around us – in the comfort of our own home!